Valentine And Victims
by Hotaruhara
Summary: Valentine was next week and Team Ueki marched to lover's mountain for fun! But looks like they won't get there easily... PS: No yaoi. BTW, this is the first time I've written a story. I'm a newbie, so I don't expect a lot of viewers..
1. Chapter 1: Start

Valentine and Victims

Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Law of Ueki!

Summary: Valentine was next week and the whole Team Ueki were headed for the lover's mountain, not to find romance in the first place, not finding it in the second place either. But who knows what lies after that?

Attention: Beware of bad languages, those below 12 must not read.

Genre: Adventure, Humor and Friendship

Author's Notes: This is my first time writing a fanfic so please give lots of comments. I need them to improve my writing. Anyway, enjoy this fanfic ^^

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Chapter One: Start

**"Sano you damn-ass! What did you do to my beads!?"**

"Hide them so you can't blast me with them :p"

**"Thanks for the idea of your punishment when I find them!"**

"Darn it, I made her lost her kindness again. Troublesome Gerard girl."

Suddenly, one of the windows of the Gerard residence broke off with a loud crash and out of it, a certain guy ( In his 16s, perhaps ) wearing a kimono jumped out – Followed by an 18 year old girl in pink pigtails.

**"You cowardly bastard! Get back here!"**

"If I do you'll hit me for sure. Anyway, I think a hit is normal since you've bombed me not a few times before…"

**"Shut up and just come back here!"**

"Man, Rinko, it's just 10 in the morning and you're so noisy already."

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Meanwhile, another strange group of people made up of two spiky-haired guys and a girl with short hair were gathered in the Ueki residence's kitchen.

"Ueki!! Where's the pepper and salt!?"

Before the Ueki could speak, the other guy with spiky yellow hair answered, "Here it is, Ai-chan!"

The girl with the short hair took the bottles of pepper and salt from his hands and said, "Thanks Hideyoshi."

"Ai? When is it going to be ready?" Ueki asked.

"Be real, Ueki. I told you this recipe needs more than an hour, and it's only been 20 minutes! You're such an impatient little boy." Ai Mori retorted.

"Hideyoshi, tell her it's been 50 minutes and not 20. And I'm not a little boy. Besides, she's more attentive when you talk instead of me." Kosuke Ueki yawned.

Soya Hideyoshi blushed a bit, but then looked at Ueki in disbelief. "Really? I thought she liked y-"

"As a friend." Ai interrupted. "Bring me the sauce!"

"Who?" Hideyoshi and Ueki asked at the same time.

"Any of you!!"

"Yes, mistress!"

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Seiichiro Sano ran across the street where the Ueki residence is in, with Rinko Gerard chasing him all along.

"Crap, she still didn't wanna let go of me?? Ah, Kosuke's house! Bet I can get some help there!"

Sano got a cloth ready and shouted, "The power to turn cloth into metal!" The cloth turned to a metal stick. He used it to smash one of the windows and ransacked into the house.

Rinko snickered. "That daredevil. Got himself cornered in the house. He thinks he can get help, huh? Well, I'll show him that help is useless!"

She jumped into the house, following Sano.

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"Someone ransacked into the house." Hideyoshi suddenly blurted out.

Both Ueki and Ai gave him the 'WHAT!?' look.

Hideyoshi, without a single word, pointed at the window of the living room. There stood an angry Rinko, pinning a half beaten Sano to the floor.

**"I'm gonna kill you for hiding my beads, you damn-ass!"** She thundered.

"Oh man, I'm so dead..!" Sano spoke to himself.

Rinko would have punched Sano in the face if her hands weren't held by Hideyoshi.

"You guys, cut it out! This is Ueki's house and not yours, so mind!"

**"STAY OUT OF THIS, MONKEY-FACE!"** Rinko screamed madly.

"Be careful, Hideyoshi. She lost her kindness for the second time already." Sano warned Hideyoshi calmly.

Suddenly, branches of trees tied Rinko up. Ueki did that voluntarily since Ai had to take care of the cooking and can't use her power to make Rinko fall in love with her glasses. Unfortunately, it turned out that Hideyoshi got tied up too.

"Hey, hey!! Ueki-kun! Why me too!?" Hideyoshi yelled.

Ueki scratched his head and said flatly, "Oops, I forgot about you."

"Darn in you damned Heavenly Being."

"What?"

"I mean… You annoying Heavenly Being." Hideyoshi corrected his words while thinking to himself, 'After all, annoying is better than damned, and I don't want him to beat me up with his Kurogane or Pick or even kill me with Ranma.'

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**Ueki's Inner Thoughts**

_I can beat him up now with Kurogane or Pick or even kill him with Ranma, but I better don't because if I do, Rinko will be affected as well._

**End of Inner Thoughts**

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After Ueki calmed Rinko down and Hideyoshi patched up Sano's bruises, and Ueki's tree was discarded, everyone gathered at the kitchen. Rinko was really curious about what Ai was cooking.

"As usual," Ai smiled when Rinko asked her. "The octopus sashimi!" Right when she said that, everyone's mouth, except hers, felt watery at once.

"When and what is it for?" Rinko asked again. She imagined a grand party with Ai's octopus sashimi as the main dish. That would be great!

"It's for next week's Umino family reunion. I'm cooking for them, and I got paid a lot for it! I can use it to pay the gas, electric, water and telephone bills. Lately, they're increasing because of Ueki's bad habits." Ai answered lightly.

Ueki blushed a bit when Ai mentioned 'bad habits'. "Well, I do waste electricity and water, but the gas and telephone bills? It was you cooking too much and busy calling up restaurants for part-time jobs!"

"All right, you got me at that." Ai sighed. "Damn you Inumaru, why not help me!?" She whispered to herself.

"What did you just call Wanko?" Sano threatened her, recalling that Inumaru Wanko was his god candidate. Anyway, he's now god.

Ai shuddered a bit and replied softly, "N-nothing…" She didn't even realize that her voice was a little shaky.

Hideyoshi put on the 'I remember something!' look on his monkey-like face.

"Hey, speaking about days, what date is it going to be next week?" He asked.

Rinko grabbed the calendar, which was coincidentally near her, and replied, "February 14th. So what?"

"Don't you guys remember anything about it???" Hideyoshi sulked.

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To Be Continued

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Darn it, being new sure is hard. I have no more ideas for this story! By the way, in the 1st chapter, there will be no special scenes for Sano, and no romance scenes for the first 2 chapters. And don't look down on the length of this chapter, because the next one is gonna be twice longer! ^_^

PS: It's a promise for the readers!


	2. Chapter 2: Memories

Valentine and Victims

Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Law of Ueki!

Summary: Tired of walking to their destination, Team Ueki rested in an inn in the middle of their way. After a certain incident, the inn brought back painful memories into Sano…

Attention: Beware of bad languages, those below 12 must not read. And violent scenes start to occur. Once more, beware.

Genre: Adventure, Humor and Friendship

Author's Notes: Goodness, being new is hard! My mom is so strict, I can't update in at least 3 weeks! Anyway, enjoy the story ^^

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Chapter Two: Memories

"Come on, Ai, we're late for the appointment!" Shouted Ueki who was carrying a big backpack and another extra bag stuffed with a sleeping bag and clothes.

"Shut up, Ueki, the appointment's at 12 noon. This is only 10 in the morning." Ai retaliated while searching for her flashlight, batteries and compass.

Ueki, who obviously didn't listen to what Ai said, spoke to himself, "Man, Rinko's gonna be mad at us if we're late…"

"KOSUKE UEKI! THE APPOINTMENT IS AT 12 NOON! THIS IS ONLY 10 IN THE MORNING, YOU STUPID BUMBLING IDIOT!!!" Ai shrieked.

Ueki opened the door and replied straightly, "That won't make any difference. Rinko always come early in every appointment, and since Sano's having a sleepover with Hideyoshi at the Sun House, which is the meeting place, they won't have any trouble. That leaves us in the dark end."

"Alright, you win. I'm already packed after all, so let's just go to the Sun House." Ai groaned heavily. Once more, she whispered to herself, "Damn you Inumaru."

She was lucky Sano wasn't around, or else…

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At the Sun House, Hideyoshi and Sano sat the lawn, waiting for the rest of the group to come.

"Man, where can they be? It's already 11 and they still haven't show up!" Sano complained.

"Cool it off, Sano. The appointment itself is at 12." Hideyoshi tried to calm him.

Sano looked at the clock behind him. "But this is abnormal, Rinko is usually early." He said annoyingly.

All of a sudden, someone waved to them from the end of the road.

"Morning, Hideyoshi!" She shouted, her pink braids moving from one side of her head to another.

"Oh, hi there Rinko!" Hideyoshi replied her, while Sano mumbled uneasily, "No hello for me, huh?"

Rinko walked up to Sano and hit him on the head.

"Ouch! What was that for you sadistic girl!?"

"For hiding my beads, idiot," Rinko pummeled him again and again. "And also a revenge on breaking Ueki's window."

Sano thought for a while, then asked, "Why are you so uptight about him anyway? You like him or something?"

Rinko's face went red. Not with shyness, but with rage.

"YOU DUMBASS!!! DESTROYING OTHER'S PROPERTIES ARE AGAINST THE RULE! YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT RULES!!" Rinko screamed.

"So why-"

"Because he's a friend, idiot!"

"Am I not a friend to you?"

**"SHUT UP!!!"**

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By the time Rinko had finished pinching Sano repeatedly, Ueki and Ai had arrived.

Ueki looked at Sano, who was practically bruised all over him, and commented, "You look like someone who just got pinched repeatedly."

"I did," Sano groaned and pointed at Rinko. "By that sadistic girl."

"Hey! Get off my back!" Rinko started to pinch him again.

Ueki shook her head and whispered to Ai, "That girl's so mean."

"Only in times when it comes to Sano." Ai corrected.

"Do you think she likes him?"

"No. Isn't it obvious that they dislike each other?"

"Ok. So… When are we going?"

Ai flinched. "I don't know. Go ask Hideyoshi."

"Why Hideyoshi?"

"Because he's the only one free to talk. I mean, Rinko and Sano are totally out of it, and we're the questioners. So that leaves Soya-kun."

"We're leaving for 'that' place. Come on Rinko, don't wanna be late, right?" Hideyoshi claimed. It's pretty obvious that he heard Ai and Ueki's conversation.

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"When will we ever get there!?" Sano complained.

"Such a lazy ass," Rinko scoffed. "You need more muscle. Are you a man or a mouse!? Be real, Seiichiro Sano!"

"I would be if you hadn't pinched me so many times, troublesome Rinko Gerard." Sano added sarcastically.

That resulted in Sano being hit in the head by Rinko.

Hideyoshi turned his head to the rest of the team and said in a comforting tone, "Don't worry, guys. We'll be there in… Let's say, 20 more minutes!"

"20 more minutes my ass…" Sano commented.

Hideyoshi snorted and warned, "Watch your words, Sano."

Ueki glanced at his watch. "It's already 5. Wanna take a rest or what?"

"That sounds awfully good. This afternoon is unusually hot!" Ai agreed.

"Hey, look, there's an inn with an onsen ( hot spring )! I saw it first!" Sano pointed in the direction of a simple inn with steam rousing from behind it.

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"Alright, 2 rooms for 5 people. Here's the key." The receptionist shoved 2 keys with the numbers 102 and 103 on them.

Ueki took the keys and turned to his friends, "So girls take room 102 and boys take room 103, got it?"

"GOT IT!!!"

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In room 102, Rinko and Ai were enjoying the tea provided in a hot kettle in the room.

"Wow, is this place an inn or a hotel?" Rinko smiled in satisfaction.

"It's still an inn." Ai replied, despite the fact that Rinko was talking to herself.

Rinko grabbed the map of the inn, which was beside the kettle, and observed it for a while. Few minutes later, she said, "Wanna go to the restaurant?"

"Invite the boys." Ai reminded.

"Oh, alright." Rinko sighed while she thought, 'Let's just hope that annoying Sano didn't have to tag along.'

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"The restaurant?" Ueki blinked when Ai and Rinko came to his room and told him about it. "Alright, but Hideyoshi will have to come with us."

"Sure!" Rinko giggled. 'That means he's out of this!'

"And Sano will have to join us too! He'll love it!" Ueki added, crushing Rinko's hope.

'Darn it, why did you want him to come??' Rinko thought, crying her eyes out ( Anime style ^^ ).

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"Here's your order." The waiter served table 12 their food. "We hope you like it." And with that, he left for another table to take orders.

On table 12, which was naturally Team Ueki's table, a plate of octopus curry and rice, a plate filled with different berries ( They call it the berry platter ), a huge glass of 3 flavored ice cream, a big plate of monkey-shaped buns and a bowl of hot ramen.

"Alright, Ittadakimasu ( Let's eat )!" Hideyoshi squealed like a kid who got a treat in Halloween. He stared at his still-hot buns, but not eating it yet.

Ueki stared at Ai's food. "You're a fan of octopus, huh?"

"So what!? I just love octopus and that's all!" Ai turned her head away from him with an annoyed face.

Meanwhile, Sano was staring at Rinko's food. "You're a fan of berries?"

"Berries have lots of vitamins, especially blueberries. It'll improve my eyesight and I'll be able to fight easier even if my glasses were thrown off. After all, berries are also alternatives of vitamin tablets and they're cheaper too! And they're free if you found them in the wild! Aren't berries great? I just love them!" Rinko talked a mouthful.

"Don't give any to me. I need my glasses for my power." Ai told Rinko.

"Can we eat now???" Hideyoshi squeaked impatiently.

"Go ahead. Who's stopping you anyway?"

"I should have known…"

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Ai put the octopus tentacles in her curry to the edge of the plate and sighed, "I love them so much I can't possibly eat them first! I'll save them for later."

"You said you don't want them? Let me have them!" Ueki pleaded.

Ai blinked. "Are you done with your ice cream-" And she stopped in mid sentence as she stared at the huge glass of ice cream, which was now empty.

"They're all in here." Ueki said, pointing to his belly.

"All in here my ass."

"Words, Ai. Anyway, can I have your octopus?"

That resulted with a big bump on Ueki's forehead.

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Rinko looked at Hideyoshi's plate. "Aren't you gonna eat them?"

"NO!!! They're too cute!" Hideyoshi pointed at his monkey buns while making a cute face ( anime style ^^ ).

"Boys are so strange."

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Sano yawned and said, "Aahh… That bowl of ramen is so filling! Do I look fat?"

"No you don't. You never look fat even after eating lots of food." Ai pointed out.

"Yes he does." Rinko sarcastically commented.

"Who should I listen to?"

"The answer is no." Ueki and Hideyoshi said together, crushing Rinko's hope again.

'Darn it you guys..' Rinko cried her eyes out again ( anime style, as always ).

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Back at room 103, Sano directly rushed to the bathroom, took off his kimono and boxers, then plunged himself into the bathtub filled to the rim with hot water. He untied his hachimaki and folded it neatly, then put it on top of his head. He had organized this since they came in the first time.

The rest of the team were fighting over Hideyoshi's buns and Ai's octopus tentacles, so he took the chance to flee from them.

**Flashback **

_"Sano? What are you doing in the bathroom for such a long time?"_

_"N.. Nothing.. *nervous chuckle*"_

**End Of Flashback **

"This is so relaxing..." He mumbled to himself.

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Sano woke up. 'Did I just fell asleep?' He thought to himself.

A scream was heard.

"LET ME GO!! HELP!!"

"What the-!?" Sano flew out of the bathroom after putting his boxers, kimono and hachimaki back on. "Where did that come from?"

The scream was repeated.

"LET ME GO!! HELP!!"

'Next room?' He thought. 'Not the girls' room; They're still in the restaurant. Room 104?' He got out of his room hurriedly and rushed to room 104 and banged on the door as hard as he could.

"Hello? HELLO!?" He yelled. No answer came. "I guess that means I have to break in." He grinned and took his hachimaki.

After a while, the door of room 104 broke into pieces. It was pretty obvious, since it was hit by a metal stick. No, Sano's hachimaki. He's lucky nobody was along the corridor he was in, or people might get wrong ideas...

"Now let me see what made that noise-" He stopped mid sentence. The view in there shocked him greatly. A bloody woman lied in the middle of the room. An unconscious man lied on the bed. The silhouette of another man standing on the woman's stomach was seen clearly. He turned his head slightly, then jumped out of the window, leaving a knife behind.

Memories started to flow into Sano's brain.

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_"Ka-san, To-san, I'm home!" A little boy, most likely 6 years old, shouted into his house._

_No answer came. The little boy ran into the dining room._

_On the table was a plate of hot pancakes and two notes._

_Written on the first one: My dearest little boy, eat this for your afternoon snack, alright? Your dearest Mom. On the second one, a big smile and a big heart was drawn, written below it: I love you. Signed, Dad._

_"Ka-san?" He repeated. "To-san?"_

_He rushed upstairs to his parents' room. What he saw stunned him._

_The view of his parents covered in brownish-red blood lying on the floor made him wordless._

_The silhouette of a man standing before them holding a knife scared him greatly. The man turned his head slightly, then jumped out of the window, leaving a knife and a flaming match behind._

_The little boy bursted into tears. He picked up his father's bloody hachimaki and walked into the bathroom to wash it._

_Minutes later, the house was on fire. The boy made his way out by splashing himself with lots of water; The kind of protection he learned from his mother in his private fire drills. He ran away to the end of the street._

_A while after that, the firefighters and the police came. They were called by the neighbors. The fire calmed down. The corpse of the two adults were retrieved. But there wasn't any sign of the little boy._

_"That's strange," The neighbor commented when questioned by the police. "Their boy is supposed to be home from his school already. Anyway, he's lucky he isn't."_

_Meanwhile, the little boy, Seiichiro Sano, watched from the end of the road---_

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'No!!' Sano shook his head. 'Don't come back!!' He walked to the telephone and called the police.

Some time or later, the police and the rest of Team Ueki came to the room.

"What happened?" Ueki asked straight to the point.

"You see…" Before Sano had a chance to answer, one of the police officers asked another question, "Please come with me. We have to question you for a while."

Sano nodded, unaware that the murderer was still clinging to the window frame, glaring at him. Sano followed the police officer to a corner of the room, with the rest of Team Ueki behind him.

"So, tell me what had happened since the past hour." The police officer started.

"You see…" Sano repeated, "My friends –By the way, they're the one behind me-and I were in the restaurant. I finished my food first, so I got back to my room, the one next to this room."

"Room 105?"

"No. Room 103."

"Alright," The police officer took notes. "Continue."

"After about 10 minutes –I was in the bathroom-, I heard a scream from this room. Another minute, another scream was heard. So I rushed off to this room and…"

"Did the murderer break the door like that?" The police officer cut him off and pointed to the smashed door.

"No." Sano said reluctantly. "I did that with a metal stick, since I banged on the door but no answer came."

"YOU WHAT-!?" Everyone shouted ( Anime style ^^ ).

"Ahaha… Sumimasen ( That's another Japanese word of sorry, other than gomenasai ). Anyway, I came in right after that. And there lied the woman and the man." Sano tried to explain as good as he can remember.

"Oh, and there's another thing. There's a man standing on the woman's stomach. After seeing me, he jumped out of the open window. He left a knife behind." He added.

The murderer was surprised. 'My knife!? Oh, crap!'

"And where is that knife?" The police officer asked.

Sano took his hachimaki off and a still bloody knife fell to the floor with a loud clatter. It left a blood mark on Sano's forehead.

"It's pretty small for a knife and it fits the straight length of my forehead, so I hid it there. Then the murderer wouldn't realize he had left it and I can give it to the police." Sano explained. ( I forgot to mention this, but never mind ^^ )

"I see… You're pretty smart for a boy." The police officer complimented him and took the knife. "Does this thing has your fingerprints on it?"

"No. I picked it up with my hachimaki."

"So it seems…" The police officer's voice trailed off. "What did you do after that?"

"Call the police." Sano said simply. "And made an attempt to wash my hachimaki at the sink with water. Apparently it didn't work, I guess it needed soap."

"Did you touch anything?"

"Nope, except for the sink."'

"Don't mind the sink, it has no relation to the case." The police officer stated, then walked to his fellow police officers to talk.

Sano looked calm enough to answer all those questions, but inside, he was struggling really hard to prevent his voice from being shaky, and tried to block all the memories from his mind.

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"Sano? You look troubled." Ueki commented when the members of the team got back to their own rooms.

"Huh?" Sano blinked. Then, he turned his head away. "It's nothing."

"Is it about the case? Or do you have something else in your mind?" Ueki persisted.

"Shut up and leave me alone." Sano said in his softest voice.

"Have fun with that." Ueki retorted, then went inside the bathroom and yawned.

Sano took his hachimaki off and stared at them for quite a long time. There were still a few blood marks. Not from the knife of the recent murderer; From the knife of his parents' murderer. The blood that will never come off.

"I guess it's stuck to me forever." Sano blurted out, startling Hideyoshi.

"What are you talking about?" Hideyoshi asked.

"N.. Nothing…"

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To Be Continued

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Goodness, I'm tired out! Anyway, hope readers enjoyed it. By the way, hachimaki means headband ( Thanks for including it in your story, GintaXAlviss Forever! ). And don't forget to comment/review ! ^_^

PS: I need friends T_T


	3. Chapter 3: Haunted

Valentine and Victims

Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Law of Ueki!

Summary: Sano's memories kept on haunting him for the rest of the day. Whatever he saw had a relation to his memories. He got frustrated and acted weirdly, but guess who managed to calm him down…

Attention: Beware of bad languages, those below 12 must not read. Violent scenes occur. Once more, beware.

Genre: Adventure, Humor and Friendship

Author's Notes: Hah! Third chapter finally done! Now I can rest… *yawn* Oh, right, enjoy it ^^ ( And give comments/reviews )

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Chapter Three: Haunted

"_It's my fault…" A little boy sobbed hardly. "It's all my fault. I wished I had been stronger. I wished I had stopped the murderer from running away. It's all my fault…" He stopped sobbing._

"_No," He smiled. "It's all __**your**__ fault."_

"What?"

"_It's all __**your**__ fault," His smile grew sinister. "__**You**__ weren't strong enough. __**You**__ didn't stop the murderer. __**You**__ did it all. __**You**__ did it."_

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Another of author's note: I took the idea of this paragraph from Naruto :D

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"Aahh!!!!" Sano sat up from the mattress ( The room only had 2 beds, luckily Hideyoshi brought a mattress of his own. Sano volunteered to use it and let Ueki and Hideyoshi have the beds ). He looked around and tried to catch his breath.

"Oh," He murmured. "Just a dream."

And with that, he got back to sleep.

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"_It's all __**your**__ fault," His smile grew sinister. "__**You**__ weren't strong enough. __**You**__ didn't stop the murderer. __**You**__ did it all. __**You**__ did it."_

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"Darn it!" Sano once again sat up from the mattress and yelled. "Seems like it'll haunt me forever! I hate this… Maybe it's better for me to do some kind of activity rather than having that dream in my mind on and on…"

He touched his burn mark on his left eye. It reminds him of his parents who liked to bring him to onsens. He got that mark because he was being a know-it-all, and accidentally plunged into the hottest part of the onsen. His parents rescued him before his whole body burns, though…

Finally, he decided to go to the onsen. It's the only way to keep his parents in his heart. The inn's onsen was open 24 hours, and this satisfied him greatly.

"Ka-san, To-san…" He whispered as he stepped into one of the holes.

All of a sudden, someone appeared from behind the bushes. Sano thought it was the murderer, but to his relieve, he saw Ueki.

"Hi." Sano greeted. "Um… Sorry for what I said to you that afternoon." He added.

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**Flashback**

"_Sano? You look troubled." Ueki commented when the members of the team got back to their own rooms._

"_Huh?" Sano blinked. Then, he turned his head away. "It's nothing."_

"_Is it about the case? Or do you have something else in your mind?" Ueki persisted._

"_Shut up and leave me alone." Sano said in his softest voice._

"_Have fun with that." Ueki retorted, then went inside the bathroom and yawned._

**End Of Flashback**

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"Oh, that?" Ueki recalled, then stepped into the hole too. "Never mind…"

Sano lied his back to the wall of the hole, then asked, "Ueki?"

"Hmm-?"

"Do you like Ai?"

The world seemed dead for a moment.

Ueki thought for quite a moment, then replied straightly. "Yeah, as a friend." After another minute, he added, "Why do you ask?"

"N.. Nothing… *nervous chuckle*"

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"I guess I'll head back for the room now. Bye Sano!"

"Bye," Sano waved his hand, then hesitantly added, "Kosuke…"

**Sano's Inner Thoughts**

I wonder what the readers are thinking right now…

**End Of Inner Thoughts**

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Another of author's notes: Sano called Ueki as Kosuke based on their tight friendship, not romance, ok?

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"I'm… Too relaxed… To stand… Up…" Sano grunted as he tried to get out of the onsen. He had enough relaxing already. But it seems that his body didn't want to get out, even though his brain wanted him to.

After 5 minutes of struggling, he finally made it out of the onsen. He gave a nearby clock a quick glance. 'It's already 6?' He thought. 'Time sure goes by fast.'

He put his kimono back on and went into the main hall. The first thing he saw was a burning fireplace.

_Minutes later, the house was on fire._

"No, don't remind me." He said to himself as he turned his head away from it. The next things he saw were a glass jar full of water and a fire extinguisher.

_The boy made his way out by splashing himself with lots of water; The kind of protection he learned from his mother in his private fire drills._

"Drat." He cursed again and went up a flight of stairs. "This day just gets worse."

He arrived at his room's floor and went straight into his room ( It's near to the stairs ). He found out that it had been ransacked by someone – In fact, that someone was still in it!

"Hey, what's the big idea, y' punk!?" Sano yelled at the someone, who was apparently a man. Then, he realized that the man was the recent murderer.

After that, all he knew was black.

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"Sano, Sano?" A little voice called.

Sano opened his eyes and whined, "H-huh?" He saw a faint picture of a girl in front of him. The girl smiled when she saw him woke up.

"Hey, guys! He's conscious!" The girl shouted happily to some other people behind her.

"Really? Yokata na… ( That's a relieve )" A familiar boy said. Beside him was another girl and another boy.

Then he realized. "Ai? Ueki? Hideyoshi? Rinko? What happened?"

"Someone ransacked into our room, correct?" Hideyoshi started. Sano nodded weakly. "Yeah, so?"

"Well, he knocked you out with a wooden stick."

Anger started to burn in Sano. He stood up at once ( Still on the bed ) and yelled angrily while pulling Hideyoshi's collar near him, "And you didn't wake me, monkey!?"

Ueki stepped between them and said, "Hey, hey, calm down. Sano, we actually didn't know. It was 6 in the morning and most of us were asleep."

"You're awake." Sano muttered under his breath.

"Heard that. You're right, anyway. But I went straight back to sleep after that, so I didn't notice." Ueki reasoned.

"Drat. Anyway, did he steal anything?" Sano asked.

"Yeah. Your hachimaki."

This shocked Sano. If he wasn't mentally strong, he would have fainted right then. Instead, he screamed, "**MY WHAT!!!??? WHERE IS HE!? LET ME HAVE HIM!!**"

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy, Sano. I got it back for ya." Ueki shoved him his hachimaki, with another blood stain. Blood?

"Whose blood is this?" Sano went straight to the point.

______________________________________________

**Flashback**

"_That? Mine."_

"_WHAT!?"_

"_I tried to pin him to the ground, but he tried to slash me with his knife, so I had to back off. It cut a bit of my left arm, though, but at least your hachimaki is back!"_

**End Of Flashback**

Sano held his hachimaki tightly. He didn't want to lose it again. He almost did. He's just lucky to have a friend like Ueki who was willing to get his most treasured possession back, even if that attempt hurt him.

"I think I should get him a gift of gratitude." Sano said to himself and got out of his room. He was going to visit the souvenir shop.

______________________________________________

At the souvenir shop, Sano was busy picking the things he would get for Ueki.

"No, not that. Not that one. Not that one either. Damn it, the only things Ueki wants are things that can help him make the world cleaner or whatever that is…"

Suddenly, he saw a figurine of a family with 2 parents and a little boy, obviously their child. A big heart was used as a background.

_The corpse of the two adults were retrieved. But there wasn't any sign of the little boy._

"What's the matter? Do you want to buy this figurine?" The shopkeeper suddenly asked, breaking Sano's thoughts.

Sano looked at the shopkeeper girl's face and shook his head while chuckling nervously.

"If you wanted the version with a girl child, it's available too!"

Sano shook his head again. He took another close look at all the goods, then chose a cloth bag with a picture of a recycle triangle. He paid for it, then went back upstairs.

______________________________________________

"A cloth bag?" Ueki blinked when Sano gave him his gift.

"Reducing the use of plastic and paper." Sano yawned. He was so tired of the memories that kept on flowing voluntarily into his mind.

Ueki glanced at the cloth bag, then smiled warmly at Sano.

_On the table was a plate of hot pancakes and two notes._

_On the second one, a big smile and a big heart was drawn, written below it: I love you. Signed, Dad._

"Man, my mind is trying to **kill** me!"

"What?"

"Forget it…"

______________________________________________

Team Ueki was back at the restaurant for breakfast. They ordered a big plate of pancakes to eat together, but Sano chose to eat a waffle of his own.

_On the living room table w__as a plate of hot pancakes and two notes._

_Written on the first one: My dearest little boy, eat this for your afternoon snack, alright? Your dearest Mom._

"What's the matter, Sano?" Ai asked. "You don't like pancakes?"

Sano slowly nodded. "Sort of."

"Oh." That only word flew out of Ai's mouth, then she started to eat her own pancake. So did the others. Except for Sano.

"My mind is **really** trying to **kill** me!"

"What?"

"Forget it…"

______________________________________________

"I'm full…" Hideyoshi groaned.

"Your fault for eating 10 pancakes so quickly. You could hardly manage to swallowed it just now." Rinko commented sarcastically.

"Mind your own business Rinko."

"Shut up, Sano."

He didn't reply. He looked at the window near them. Something suddenly jumped out of it. Apparently, a squirrel had snuck in and just made its way out, but it reminded Sano of something else.

_The man turned his head slightly, then jump__ed out of the window._

To get the scene out of his mind, Sano started cutting up his waffle into pieces, then showered them with the brownish-red maple syrup.

_The view of his parents covered in brownish-red blood lying on the floor made him wordless._

"This is such a bad day…" He mumbled uneasily, then ate his waffle up as quickly as he could. That made the rest of the team stare at him.

"Sano? What's wrong with you?" Rinko asked.

"Yeah, you looked and acted differently than usual." Ueki agreed.

"How I look and act are all up to me. It… It has n-nothing to do with you." Sano said those words unwillingly. He realized that he sounded a bit shaky.

Hideyoshi had the curious monkey face with him. "Really?"

"Oh, come on! What's with you guys wanting to know what I'm thinking about!?" Sano yelled uncomfortably.

______________________________________________

"This day is really frustrating…" Sano muttered when he got back from the restaurant. As usual, he was faster than the rest of the team.

______________________________________________

**Flashback**

_He put his kimono back on and went into the main hall. The first thing he saw was a burning fireplace._

Minutes later, the house was on fire.

"_No, don't remind me." He said to himself as he turned his head away from it. The next things he saw were a glass jar full of water and a fire extinguisher._

The boy made his way out by splashing himself with lots of water; The kind of protection he learned from his mother in his private fire drills.

"_Drat." He cursed again and went up a flight of stairs. "This day just gets worse."_

________________________________________________

_Suddenly, he saw a figurine of a family with 2 parents and a little boy, obviously their child. A big heart was used as a background._

The corpse of the two adults were retrieved. But there wasn't any sign of the little boy.

________________________________________________

_Ueki glanced at the cloth bag, then smiled warmly at Sano._

On the table was a plate of hot pancakes and two notes.

On the second one, a big smile and a big heart was drawn, written below it: I love you. Signed, Dad.

________________________________________________

_Team Ueki was back at the restaurant for breakfast. They ordered a big plate of pancakes to eat together, but Sano chose to eat a waffle of his own._

On the living room table was a plate of hot pancakes and two notes.

Written on the first one: My dearest little boy, eat this for your afternoon snack, alright? Your dearest Mom.

________________________________________________

_He didn't reply. He looked at the window near them. Something suddenly jumped out of it. Apparently, a squirrel had snuck in and just made its way out, but it reminded Sano of something else._

The man turned his head slightly, then jumped out of the window.

_To get the scene out of his mind, Sano started cutting up his waffle into pieces, then showered them with the brownish-red maple syrup._

The view of his parents covered in brownish-red blood lying on the floor made him wordless.

**End Of Flashbacks**

______________________________________________

"Most everything I see today reminded me of that incident," He sadly said to himself, unaware that Rinko was standing behind him.

"What incident?" She plainly asked, startling Sano so much that he fell back to the floor.

"Rinko!? Why are you here!? This is a boy room! Shoo!" Sano tried to push Rinko out with words while standing back up.

"Well, Ueki forgot to take his camera down. He wanted to take a picture of the mountain behind the inn. Since the others are busy, I volunteered to take it for him."

"I knew you liked Ueki."

"Shut up! I did it because I'm feeling generous today!"

"Not to me, though…" Sano muttered to himself in the littlest voice he could make.

"Right on." Rinko, who surprisingly was able to hear Sano's voice, retorted happily, then took Ueki's camera from the bed and marched out cheerfully.

Sano waited until Rinko slammed the door shut. Right after she did, he sighed, "Finally, someone managed to calm me down…"

______________________________________________

To Be Continued

______________________________________________

Hope you readers like it. The special announcement for today is: OCs will appear in the 4th chapter. Just wait for it to be posted! And don't forget to comment/review ^_^


	4. Chapter 4: Targeted

Valentine and Victims

Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Law of Ueki!

Summary: Sano got up really early in the morning to be able to enjoy the onsen alone. But when he got there, a girl, who's apparently being targeted by 2 strangers, was in first. When the strangers made their move, Team Ueki swooped in to save her. Did they succeed in saving her?

Attention: Beware of bad languages, those below 12 must not read. Violent scenes might occur. Once more, beware.

Genre: Adventure, Humor and Friendship

Author's Notes: Yay! 3 of my OCs will now appear! A small clue about them: 2 of them aren't human. Don't forget to comment/review!

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Chapter Four: Targeted

4.30 in the morning, the first second.

= RRRIII---NNNGGG!!! =

4.30 in the morning, another second.

= SMASH!! = plus a voice saying, "What the hell?"

Sano opened his eyes and found out that he had crushed part of the alarm clock with his fist.

"Shit, that was the 3rd time I've broken it. Rinko's gonna be mad at me when she found out that _her_ alarm clock is slammed again." He cursed himself, then got up from the mattress.

'Still morning.' He thought, then he yawned. "I'll head for the onsen. It has less people in this time of the day after all."

______________________________________________

Sano's guess made its way to the top of possibilities. There wasn't anyone in sight when he arrived at the onsen.

"I'm so lucky," Sano grinned and stepped into the communal hole ( The separated holes aren't open until 6 in the morning ). But he accidentally slipped on one of the rocks under the water and his hachimaki fell into the water.

"Aahh..!" He reached for his hachimaki and tied it back on his head. Suddenly, a giggle was heard from behind one of the big rocks in the middle of the hole.

"What!? There were people in here already? Darn it.." He muttered under his breath.

______________________________________________

The person who made the giggle showed up. A girl, probably in age 15, greeted Sano shyly, "Hello…" ( PS: I'm not a pervert, the girl has a towel wrapped around her body and so does Sano )

**Sano's Inner Thoughts**

Drat! Come on, brain! Find the right reply sentence!

**End Of Inner Thoughts**

"Hi," He greeted back, "Sorry to intrude."

"It's okay, I feel lonely." The girl said cheerfully. "Anyway, my name is Mikami Usagi. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"

"Me? Uh…" Sano's brain searched for the right disguise name, just in case. "It's… Umm… Genki Matsumoto."

"Genki… That means courageous, right?" She asked.

"Yeah, well, whatever…"

"I like your name " Usagi complimented him.

"Mikami itself means daughter of the new moon, isn't it?"

"Well, I was born at the moon in the new moon phase."

Sano was about to change the subject if the girl's reply didn't surprise him. "Wait, repeat your words slowly."

"I-was-born-at-the-moon-in-the-new-moon-phase." Usagi said without suspicion.

That's enough fact for Sano. Enough fact that **she's not human**!

______________________________________________

"You're not human?" Sano asked in a careful tone.

"Of course not! I told you I was born at the moon," She smiled. "I'm from the Usagi clan, the clan of the first descendents of the moon people."

Sano blinked. "Usagi means rabbit. You looked nothing like a rabbit."

"I just hid my ears," Usagi explained. Two long, brown rabbit ears suddenly shot up from the top of her head. They matched her red hair. "And you haven't seen my rabbit tail yet."

"You know what, I think I'd rather not…" Sano rejected.

"Did you come here alone?"

"No, I came with my 4 friends. What about you, Usagi?"

The rabbit ears suddenly dropped. Her once cheerful face turned sad. "I came here alone. I've been alone since I was 10 years old."

Sano paid attention to this. He asked further, "Why? You're an orphan?"

"No, not exactly…" Usagi said doubtfully. "I was separated from my brother back then because of the recent moonquake ( a version of earthquake on the moon, just in case you don't know ) and the erupting volcanoes. My mom died because of severe shock and my dad died of protecting my brother and I from the pieces of rock falling to us."

"Oh…" Sano's throat felt too dry to say anything else. "Do you think your brother is still alive?" Then he realized he wasn't supposed to ask something like that.

Usagi sighed heavily and answered, "Yes. I believe in him. He's strong." She swam to the edge and sit beside Sano, her legs tucked into her chest. "But I think he's as lonely as I am."

"How did you get here?" Sano changed the subject. He didn't want to talk about painful memories anymore.

"I snuck into a teleportation capsule and teleported myself here. I've been in this inn since last year. The owner of the inn figured that I'm an orphan, so he let me live here. I helped him do chores as a payment," She explained a mouthful. "My brother did the same, but I don't know where he had landed."

Sano nodded. He took a quick look at the clock behind him. "It's already 6. Since you're so lonely, want me to introduce my friends to you?"

Usagi's eyes brightened. She giggled, "Yes! I'd love it! Thank you."

______________________________________________

In room 102, Team Ueki, plus the new Mikami Usagi gathered to introduce themselves.

"Hi! I'm Mikami Usagi from the moon's Usagi clan! Nice to meet you!" Usagi giggled ( She's a fan of giggling ^^ ).

"Welcome, Usagi-chan," Ueki greeted. "I'm Masaki Kobayashi ( Apparently Sano had asked all of them to make a disguise name ). These are my friends."

"Hello, I'm Mori Nakamura," Ai shook hands with Usagi, then pointed at Rinko "And that's Yuri Sasaki." Rinko waved at Usagi. Usagi waved back.

"As you know, I'm Genki Matsumoto, and this is Yukio Abe." Sano tapped Hideyoshi's back.

"Uh… Hi?" Hideyoshi reluctantly said, still confused by everything. He whispered at Sano, "Hey, why use fake names? It's hard to remember y' know.."

"Just do it!" Sano shot, then smiled warmly at Usagi to reduce her suspicion.

Usagi just smiled back. All of them had fun talking, then they play card games and such, unaware that someone was watching them from the tree near the window.

______________________________________________

"Have you found her?"

"Yes, but this is going to be difficult. She seemed to have made friends, and I don't think those friends will turn her in so easily."

"Don't worry about those friends of hers. If they choose to interrupt with our work, we'll just finish them off."

"Understood."

"By the way, Agent OroC-Gen2, don't forget the original plan."

"Hai, ojousama." ( That means "Yes, mistress." )

______________________________________________

"Where are they?" Sano asked Hideyoshi. He just got back from the snack stands.

"They as in Usagi and Ueki? They went for a walk." Hideyoshi simply answered.

Suddenly, the door of room 103 got knocked down by a tree.

"Help! Someone chased us!" Usagi shrieked.

"What!?" Hideyoshi slammed the table near him, then Sano added, "Is that true Ueki?"

"It's the truth!" Ueki righted. The tree from his palm disappeared. "Seems like Usagi is the target!"

Ai and Rinko appeared behind them. "What happened!?" Ai got straight to the point.

Ueki started to explain everything, "We were walking in front of the inn. Usagi was about to pick a dandelion when a stranger suddenly jumped from behind the bushes. He took out a knife and tried to lung for Usagi, but I pulled her out of the way just in time, then we ran back into the inn. The stranger still followed us, but when we arrive at the stairs, he stopped and ran to the opposite direction. I guess he didn't want to go up and cause noises."

Everyone slightly nodded. "Nice thinking, and good reaction for an enemy." Rinko complimented.

"Did you realize that you're complimenting the enemy?" Sano teased.

"Is it such a crime!?"

______________________________________________

In an underground cave, a 17-year-old boy was talking to a girl… From her looks, probably 2 years younger than him. The boy, however, called the girl…

"…Ojousama."

"And that is the change in the plan. Quite difficult, but it'll do, and we'll be able to accomplish our mission," The girl smiled innocently, "That rabbit will provide all the power we'll need."

"I, Agent OroC-Gen2, will do my best, ojousama," He stopped. "No, not ojousama. Special Agent TakaC-Gen3."

The girl smiled again. "Use a fake name, and do as planned."

"Understood."

______________________________________________

"So? What do we do?" Ueki started. Team Ueki, plus Usagi, was having a meeting in the girls' room.

"That depends. If the enemy is serious, we'll have to use force. If the enemy is weak, we can just make him spill. Threatening to tickle him to death might work." Hideyoshi responded.

Sano sighed, "That's not the problem. The problem is how to keep Usagi safe while we're fighting the enemy?"

Everyone went silent. After some time, Ai volunteered to speak, "Then someone must stay back to protect her. The weakest one. With all strong ones fighting, we can win quickly."

After thinking for a while, Hideyoshi said, "Might work. Since my power is useless, I guess I can stay with Usa…"

Rinko cut him off, "Dame da yo ( Nope can't do ). Sending the weakest one will be a big risk. What if there're actually more than one enemy? If his companions strike for Usagi, what can the weak one do?"

Everyone went silent again. Ai spoke up again, "But we can't send the strong one too. We need strong ones to help attack the enemy. Anything can happen!"

"In that case, I'll protect myself," Usagi blurted out, surprising everyone. "You can't send any of you to protect someone like me. All of you are needed-"

"If you can't send either weak or strong ones, send the medium ones." Sano interrupted. "Here, the strongest one is obviously Ueki, and the weakest one, in the meaning of the one with the most useless power, it's you Hideyoshi."

Hideyoshi sulked. Ueki just blushed.

"As for Ai…" Sano continued, "Her power is a lethal brainwash. We must make use of it. But we need someone to put the enemy into the goody-two-shoes position, and that'll be Hideyoshi's job."

Hideyoshi's face brightened again. Ai nodded slightly.

"And Rinko… Her bombs will be useful. Really useful. I knew it's powerful enough to blow even someone with armor -I'm her test subject for the bombs after all-. We'll need her for both offense and defense."

Rinko smiled, but then frowned. "But, if that's an elimination of who's going to protect Usagi, that leaves…"

Sano didn't say anything.

"But Sano," Ueki protested. "Your power is a good defense for the knife the enemy uses! He might have other metal weapons, and you're the only one with metal defense here!"

"What about your Fudo? Or Galiper? You can even use Machu." Sano debated. "They're way stronger than my metal. You don't need me. Right now, Usagi-san is our top priority, not me."

"Sano…" Ueki tried, but Sano persisted.

"I can do it." Sano retaliated. "You just need to believe me."

The world seemed dead for a moment.

"Oh, well…" Ueki agreed at last. "But promise me you'll be alright."

"I will. Yakusoku ne ( I promise )."

______________________________________________

"Come in Ueki. This is Gerard. He's coming? Over."

"Ueki coming in. Out to Gerard. Yes, the plan is working perfectly until now. Over."

Ueki released the push-to-talk button he had been pressing down. He put his walkie-talkie back into his pocket and watched Usagi from below the bushes.

He looked up and saw Rinko hiding up a tree. Sano hid in one of the onsen holes, his face covered with a regular towel; He's the nearest to Usagi. Hideyoshi peeped from the rooftop and Ai was right beside him.

Team Ueki was carrying out a plan to trap the enemy stranger. They wanted to question him. Usagi was used as a bait. Her role was to walk around near the onsen to attract the enemy.

The enemy had noticed her and approached her from behind. She just pretended not to know.

Until then, everything was fine…

______________________________________________

"Hey, girl…" The enemy greeted softly. "Ie, Usagi."

"What do you want?" Usagi asked and pretended to tremble.

He laughed at her. "Why are you so scared? Come with me; I want to show you something really interesting." He tried to grab her hand, but she ran to the direction of the onsen while giving signs to Ueki with her hand.

"Come in everyone. This is Ueki. It's time. Over and out."

______________________________________________

"All right! Finally!" Sano splashed out of the hole. He actually had his kimono on, even under the water. "Darn, this plan made my favorite kimono wet, anyway, let's do this!" He lunged at the enemy.

"You're the one from yesterday-!?" The enemy looked surprised, but he quickly recovered. "Whatever, I'll just finish you off. My mistress will be proud of me!"

'Mistress???' Rinko thought. 'So there _are_ more than one enemy!'

She pressed her push-to-talk button. "Come in Hideyoshi, Ueki and Mori. This is Gerard. Did you hear what he said? Over."

"Hideyoshi, Ueki and Mori coming in. Out to Gerard. We did! Over." The other three replied in unison.

"Then that means…" Rinko still pressed the button, "We've got 2 companies!"

______________________________________________

"You damned boy!!!" The enemy shouted while trying to slash Sano with his knife.

"Says someone who missed his target." Sano teased. "Come with us quietly. All we want is a simple talk. But if you don't we'll have to take you by force."

Strangely, the enemy smiled. Then he laughed. "Did you really think you can beat me???" He asked arrogantly.

"Why not?" Sano scoffed uneasily.

"Because…" The enemy suddenly grew two long fangs from his mouth. "Nobody had ever stand the deathly venom of the Orochi Clan after they tasted it!" His skin became scaly. His eyes didn't need changing; They already resembled a snake's eyes.

Usagi was really shocked when she heard and saw that. "You're that famous businessman from the moon kingdom! Asabi Orochi!"

"Famous? More like evil," He smirked. "Why do you think your mom died? That's not shock! That my venom!"

Usagi felt like a thousand arrows struck her heart.

"Shut up! No way! You're lying, you damn-ass!" She cried.

"I killed your beloved mom, and I planted a bomb in one of the volcanoes near your house. What for? To kill your dad! I knew he'll protect you! And I took it as an advantage!"

She felt like another thousand arrows struck her heart again.

"No…" She sobbed. She started to cry. "No way, no way… You're lying! I know you are! How can we believe a damned snake like you!?"

"My mistress can prove it," Orochi added. "She's just someone you know. And you'll believe her for sure."

"Try me, bastard! Why do you want me anyway!?" Usagi dared him.

"You asked for it. And my mistress will explain everything." He said coolly and turned his back to her. He took out a small piece of crystal and said, "Ojousama, the target wishes to know the reason to all this. Shall I tell her?"

The crystal shone and shot out a hologram to the open sky. The face of a young girl was seen. "No. I will come to get her myself. Since her friends have reinforced her, this will be necessary. I didn't say today, though…" The hologram disappeared. He kept the crystal in his pocket again.

"What!? That 15-year-old girl is your mistress!?" Sano asked sarcastically. "How can your mistress be younger than you!? It's so obvious that you're 17! It's written on your name card, idiot!"

"Well, I personally don't care." Orochi retorted. "Anyway, the real game starts now…" He said as he grinned, showing his sharp fangs.

______________________________________________

To Be Continued

______________________________________________

All done! I'm starting to love this responsibility as an author! And for Kye-Zhi ( I sent you a PM, please reply ) and Silverfeather who gave reviews for the first time, thanks a lot! It made me focused to the work and I can finish 4 chapters quickly! Once more, thanks. By the way, don't forget to review ^_^


	5. Chapter 5: Offer

Valentine and Victims

Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Law of Ueki!

Summary: The enemy and his mistress turned out to be moon people too! Team Ueki had decided not to turn Usagi-san in at any situation, even when Rinko got poisoned, but when the mistress talked to Sano about something, he started to think about giving Usagi up…

Attention: Beware of bad languages, those below 12 must not read. Violent scenes might occur. Once more, beware.

Genre: Adventure, Humor and Friendship

Author's Notes: Enjoy the chapter. Please help me improve my writing skills with your comment/review!

______________________________________________

Chapter Five: Offer

"Whatever you say, snakey! Let's get this started!" Sano ran to Orochi. He tried to smash him with a big metal mallet, but Orochi-san just jumped to the tree Rinko was in!

"Found you," He hissed and pushed Rinko down.

"AAAHHH---!!!" Rinko shrieked.

"Rinko!" Sano shouted and swooped underneath her to catch. = BLAM! = "You're heavy…" He complained.

"You need more muscle." She debated.

Suddenly, Orochi jumped down behind them. "Slowpoke." He smirked and slashed his knife.

"Oh, drat!"

"Sano!" Rinko shouted.

Sano held his cut arm and calmly said, "Get off me, you're heavy."

"Shut up…" Rinko grumbled, but she got off his back. Sano had carried her and jumped to get away from the knife, though it cut through his arm.

Sano grabbed his hachimaki and threw it to Orochi. "360 degree boomerang cutter!"

"Such an easy trick to escape from," Orochi teased. He suddenly slid down into the ground, without leaving any hole behind!

"What in the world-!?" Sano cursed. He looked around for Orochi, but, naturally, didn't find him. "Darn, this guy's tricks are good…"

"Sano! Run!" Rinko yelled as loud as she can, but she sounded like someone choked her. 'I lost my voice?' She thought. 'But how?'

"Too bad," Orochi said, appearing behind her. "I poisoned her. The first effect is just the loss of voice. Leave it longer and her throat will narrow itself. In other words…" He continued evilly, "She'll choke herself."

That shocked everyone. Rinko will…

______________________________________________

**Flashback**

"_The __true effect will be felt 5 hours later.," Orochi said before leaving. He reasoned that they weren't strong enough to fight with. "You guys are way too weak," He said._

_By that time, Ueki and Hideyoshi had gotten out and got beaten__, as well as Sano. Ai was asked by Ueki to keep hiding until the fight ends. Her powers were the most useless one since Hideyoshi couldn't make Orochi get into the goody-two-shoes position._

"_Until that time," Orochi added. "You can find the way to stop the venom from taking full effect. Or else, she'll die in 3 days…" And with that, he quietly left._

**End Of Flashback**

______________________________________________

"Anybody have ideas?" Ai started. They were gathered in the boys' room. Ueki, Ai, Hideyoshi, Sano and Usagi sat on the floor, while Rinko slept on the bed.

"Let her rest so the poison didn't spread wider." Hideyoshi said.

"Find the cure to the poison." Ueki suggested.

"I agree to Ueki." Sano supported.

"But what is the cure?" Hideyoshi asked. "We didn't know."

Sano punched the wall near him. Some of the surface broke into pieces. "Damn it that Orochi. He didn't even tell us what the cure is."

"Sano, no need to be aggressive," Ueki reminded. "This isn't the battlefield."

Sano nodded. He felt really angry inside. 'You sadistic snake bastard…' He cursed. He stared at Rinko. "She looks pale." He commented.

Everyone's attention were quickly gathered at Rinko.

"Water! Water!"

"Medicine!! Medicine!!"

"Doctor!!! Doctor!!!"

"Hey… Why did everyone get so panicky?" :-p

______________________________________________

"This is rare poison." Mr. Murasaki, the doctor Hideyoshi called, said in a serious tone. "The only thing that can cure this is the nectar of a blue spider lily mixed with the extract 3 kinds of herbs. I do have the herbs, but I don't have the nectar of the blue spider lily. It's difficult to find."

"Where can we find a blue spider lily? We didn't know if there's any around." Ueki stated.

Mr. Murasaki coughed and answered, "There are some of them in the depths of mountains. There's a mountain behind this inn. You can look for it there."

-o_o-o_o-o_o-o_o-o_o-o_o-

"MOUNTAINS!!!???" Everyone cried out ( Anime style ^^ ).

______________________________________________

"Man, I think we'll be staying here a bit longer than we planned…" Sano complained.

"Don't worry. It's not like our destination place will vanish over night." Ueki said.

Hideyoshi chose to stay silent.

The three were hiking through the mountain behind the inn.

"What's the name of this mountain again?"

"Let me think… Wasn't it Fuji Yama?" ( Yama means mountain )

"That's far -_-"

"I remember! Hanano Yama."

Hideyoshi thought for a while. "Doesn't Hanano means '…Of Flower'?"

"Then that means there are lots of flowers in this mountain." Sano commented.

"There are. I saw 31 sakura trees, 65 yellow roses, 29 venus flytraps, 47 orange jasmines and 80 purple lilies so far." Ueki stated.

"Orange jasmines? Purple lilies? Never heard of them." Hideyoshi blinked.

"That means they're rare."

"If rare flowers are here, the blue spider lily must be here somewhere."

"Let's just hope so…"

______________________________________________

Hideyoshi fell to the ground in a sitting position.

"I'm tired…" He whined. He put his hand on his belly and added, "I'm hungry…"

Sano followed his lead. "We all are."

Ueki sat down as well. "Let's eat. Lucky I brought 10 lunchboxes. They're all full of Ai's octopus sashimi!"

"Hontou!?" ( Really!? )

"Hontou wa hontou da yo!" ( Of course it's real! )

Sano cut 2 small pieces of cloth from his kimono and turn them into metal chopsticks. "I'll do fine without wooden chopsticks."

Ueki nodded and handed Hideyoshi a pair of wooden chopsticks, while taking another pair for himself from his backpack.

______________________________________________

"I'm full…" Hideyoshi rubbed his stomach.

"Me too…" Sano followed him.

"Me three…" Ueki followed as well.

They packed their things up and continued on walking again.

______________________________________________

"Agent OroC-Gen2."

"Hai, ojousama?" Asabi Orochi replied to his mistress.

"You realized that you failed?"

"Hai, ojousama."

The girl smiled. "I am giving you 3 more chances. Fail, and I'll send you to the bottom of the deepest trench of the underworld."

Orochi sweated, but then answered, "Understood, ojousama."

"I'm tired of you calling me ojousama. Call me with my name."

He looked up to his smiling mistress. "Understood…"

______________________________________________

"…Takako Takagi?"

Ueki nodded. They talked as they walked. "Yes. Rumor said that she has wings that she hid under her occasional coat. She's a young tutor, right? And her neighbors mentioned that every night, bird sounds are heard from her house."

"Another moon people?" Hideyoshi guessed.

"That's most likely," Ueki agreed. "Plus, her age is 15. And she looked like that Orochi's mistress."

"So she's behind all this!?" Sano grumbled. "Curse you sadistic girl…"

Hideyoshi suddenly yelped in pain. "Aahh!! Snake!"

"You got a snakebite!?" Ueki got to him, followed by Sano.

Sano took off his hachimaki. "Where did the snake bite you?"

Hideyoshi pointed at his left thigh. Blood came out of two little holes. "I can't believe it managed to bite a place that high!"

"It might not be an ordinary snake." Ueki suggested.

Sano nodded, then tied his hachimaki as tightly as he can right next to the holes.

"Ouch! Too tight!" Hideyoshi complained.

"To let the poisoned blood out." Sano simply said.

"Sadly it won't." Orochi suddenly appeared behind them.

Ueki jumped backwards, followed by Sano who carried Hideyoshi.

Orochi grinned and said, "I just injected another type of venom in him, the one that made him paralyzed for a whole week. It will work in 5 more minutes."

"Why you…!!" Ueki and Sano put their hands into fists. They're ready to punch any minute.

"I've heard that you found the cure to the poison," Orochi kept on speaking, "And I'd love to stop you by killing all of you right here right now with my ultimate venom, but that would be against my mistress's orders."

Then it occurred in Sano's mind. "Tell me the name of your mistress."

"Her name, huh?" Orochi smirked. "You're really curious. It's Special Agent TakaC-Gen3."

"HER REAL NAME, IDIOT!!!"

Orochi stopped smiling. His face darkened and said, "I'm not allowed to tell. Haven't you heard of 'curiosity killed the cat'?"

"First, I'm not curious. It's an important information we'll need. And second, I'm not a cat. Keep it in that evil mind of yours." Sano scoffed.

When he's done talking, Orochi had disappeared.

______________________________________________

"What!?" Ai shouted in surprise when she heard the news from Ueki. The three got back to the inn to give Hideyoshi a rest.

"Yeah, he poisoned Hideyoshi too." Ueki sadly said, while Sano quietly stood beside him.

Ai's tears started to fell. She cried so loudly that the others had to close their ears.

"Don't worry, he'll only be paralyzed for a week." Ueki tried to calm her down, but she kept on crying.

"B.. But.. That means.. The search for the cure.. Will be more difficult.." Ai wiped her tears, but new ones kept on falling to replace the one she had dried. "We'll never be able to heal them!"

Sano smashed the nearby wall with his fist. Some of the surface broke into pieces again. It startled everyone in the room.

"Do you believe in us?" He darkly asked Ai.

Ai sobbed. "Y..Yes.."

Sano didn't reply at first, but then he retorted, "Liar."

Again, this startled everyone in the room. "What?"

He turned back from Ai. "If you do… Why did you say we'll never be able to heal them?"

"Well, I was…"

Sano didn't listen to the rest of Ai's sentence. He grabbed his hiking backpack and stormed out of the room.

______________________________________________

After Sano slammed the door shut, Ai fell to the floor and cried even louder.

Ueki squatted beside her and patted her back softly. "Forgive Sano. He's just in a bad mood today."

Ai looked up to him, then her head dropped down and she sobbed. "But I.. I..."

Ueki stood back up and said to Usagi, who was the only one left there, "Leave us."

Usagi nodded and without another word, she marched out.

______________________________________________

Usagi shut the door slowly, then walked to the stairs. Sano was sitting beside it.

She walked up to him. "Wanna go for a walk?"

"Stay inside the inn," Sano advised. "You're the target." Then he got up and go downstairs.

"Where are you going??" Usagi asked.

Sano simply replied, "Don't follow me." And he left.

______________________________________________

After Usagi left the room, Ueki grabbed Ai's wrist and they stood up. Ai shook Ueki's hand off and sat on the bed Rinko was on.

"My fault…" She mumbled, "It's my fault they're poisoned. If I had been stronger to defend Rinko, if I had been hiking with you, this wouldn't have happened."

Ueki sat beside her, then suddenly hugged her tightly.

"U-Ueki!?" Ai tried to shove him away, but he just held her tighter.

"It's not your fault," He calmed. "You didn't know. Not your fault." Little by little, his hug loosen and Ai was free. Ai, however, insisted that he should hug her again.

Ai whispered softly, "Onegai," ( Please ) She kissed his cheek. "It calmed me down."

Ueki blinked at first, but then hugged her again as they continued to chat.

______________________________________________

Meanwhile, Sano was on the mountain again. This time, he climbed alone.

'I have to get that flower,' He thought. 'I have to get it, or else Rinko and Hideyoshi…'

10 minutes later, he was out of energy, so he rested for a while under a chestnut tree. He took off his hachimaki and stared at it again.

"What's so special about that hachimaki anyway?" A girl up on the tree blurted out. It's obvious that she had been following Sano. "Oops, I blew myself." She jumped down and landed in front of Sano right after he tied his hachimaki back.

And naturally, Sano had to attack. "8-fold boomerang cutter!" He yelled.

The girl dodged it easily and giggled, "Is that all you've got? By the way, I came here to talk with you."

"DON'T SCREW WITH ME!! 16-FOLD BOOMERANG CUTTER!!" Sano attacked again.

She dodged again, as easily as the last one. Sano smirked and said, "Pretty good for a girl."

"I told you," The girl smiled. "I came here to talk."

It finally caught Sano's attention, and he listened to what the girl had to say. Unfortunately, the conversation with her shook his will of protecting Usagi.

______________________________________________

**Flashback**

"_I'm Takako Takagi, aka Special Agent TakaC-Gen2." She introduced herself._

_Sano cursed, "So you __**are**__ the one behind all this. Damn it you bastard."_

"_I heard that Asabi-kun poisoned 2 of your friends?" Takagi asked. "If that's true, I'm terribly sorry."_

"_I don't need an enemy to apologize to me! And I don't need an enemy's help either!" Sano rejected._

_She grinned. "I know where to find those blue spider lilies."_

_This greatly surprised Sano. "Where!? WHERE!?" He asked, despite what he had just said about not needing the enemy's help._

_Takagi's grin turned evil. "I'll tell you, with one condition."_

"_Tell me." Sano dared. "I'll at least try to fulfill it."_

"_You'll have to…"_

**End Of Flashback**

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"She wants you to what!?" Ueki hit the table. It shook so hard that Hideyoshi's binoculars fell to the floor.

"You heard me." Sano retorted.

Ueki turned his back and grumbled, "But that's way impossible! Either way we lose! We can't possibly choose between Rinko's health and Usagi's safeness."

"Then? What should we do? Let Rinko die or turn Usagi-san in?" Sano dared him.

Everyone fell dead silent. ( Ai was there too )

Finally, Ai volunteered to speak. "So? What's the solution?"

"There's only one," Ueki answered, "And that is…"

______________________________________________

To Be Continued

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*yawn* I'm really tired. I won't be updating for another week. Don't forget to comment/review *yawn again*

( Btw, thanks for all those tips, Kye-Zhi )


	6. Chapter 6: Solution

Valentine and Victims

Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Law of Ueki!

Summary: It's either turning Usagi in to the enemies, or Rinko will die in 3 days. After Ueki, Ai and Sano had a meeting, they decided to do the one thing most people in their position wouldn't do…

Attention: Beware of bad languages, those below 12 must not read. Violent scenes might occur. Once more, beware.

Genre: Adventure, Humor and Friendship

Author's Notes: Another 3 OCs will make move! By the way, Kye-Zhi, thanks for the tips! That really improved my writing, even just a bit. Enjoy, readers ^^

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Chapter Six: Solution

Ueki slammed his fist to the floor. "You guys got the plan?"

"Got it, Ueki." Sano and Ai nodded.

"Great," Ueki clapped. "We'll do it tomorrow. Make sure you do it right, or else Rinko will die."

______________________________________________

Orochi entered the underground cave, only to be slapped by Takagi.

"What the-!? What is it, ojousama?"

"Not ojousama. Takagi." She corrected him. "I heard that you failed the order."

"I thought you ordered me to poison one of them," Orochi started, but Takagi cut him off.

"I ordered you to _kill_ one of them. Why do you use the paralyzing venom instead of your ultimate one?" Takagi darted.

Orochi bowed low and apologized formally, "Sumimasen, Takagi-san."

"You used up one chance," Takagi reminded as she smiled. "Two more failures, and I'll send you to the Death Trench. There will be no mercy."

"Hai, Takagi-san."

"Oh right, I almost forgot…" Takagi reached into her waist-pouch and threw a small box at Orochi. "Use them in sticky situations." She instructed.

Orochi opened the box and took a quick glance at what was inside it, then mumbled, "I thought they're still imperfect to use…"

"They are." Takagi righted him. "You're my best underling, and I want you to test them to Usagi-san's reinforcements; Her new friends. They will be my test subject. Shall I trust you?"

"Whatever decisions you make will always be right to me, Takagi-san."

"Do not lower your loyalty. Go, and fulfill your mission."

______________________________________________

"I don't want to." Usagi rejected.

"What!? Why?"

"I can't just stand back!" She whined.

This time, Sano didn't hold back. He grabbed Usagi's sleeve and pulled her nearer to himself. "Now listen here, you self-centered brat! Rinko and Hideyoshi are depending on us! Do you want to help?"

"I do, but…"

"If you do, just agree! No ifs, ands or buts!" Sano released her roughly, then went into the changing room.

Ai walked to Usagi, then checked her arm. "Did it hurt? Sorry about that, he's been grumpy these days."

"Never mind," Usagi shoved her aside. "That was just a normal grab, not a powerful one. I'm perfectly fine."

"Usagi-san…" Ueki started, only to be interrupted by Usagi.

"I understand. Let's do it."

"You don't have to if you don't want to, y' know…" Ai said.

The changing room door opened. "Sano's done. Let's go." Ueki instructed.

Ai nodded. The three of them walked out of the room and head for the mountain.

______________________________________________

"Ai, you're so slow. Walk faster." Ueki teased.

"I… Can't…" Ai fell to the ground ( Anime style ^^ ).

Usagi and Ueki ran to her. "Ai-chan!?"

Because of that, Ueki had to carry her around for the next 2 hours :-p

______________________________________________

"What's the matter? They're weaklings. Are they really worth fighting for, miu?"'

"There's nothing we can do about it anyway, it's under the order of Orochi-sama."

"This will be boring, miu…" A girl, sitting up on a tree, threw her head away from the view in front of her. The golden hair of hers moved from one side of her head to another.

"Reject the order and you'll be killed by Orochi-sama." A redhead boy beside her reminded.

"Why do you always use Orochi-sama in the end of your sentences, anyway, miu?"

"Same as you using miu. It's just a bad habit. I was told by Orochi-sama."

"Yours is obviously unnatural, miu!" She started to braid her long hair.

"Yours too. We're the only ones like this in the moon platoon led by Orochi-sama."

"Orochi-sama is kind of weak to me, against kids like them, I mean, miu…"

"You're such a pain. I wonder why you're included in the favorites of Orochi-sama." The boy folded his arms and pretended to think deeply.

"Shut up!! You're just jealous, miu!" This time, she streaked her long, feline whiskers.

______________________________________________

"Ueki, put me down. I can move already." Ai hit Ueki's shoulder, despite him not listening to her and kept on concentrating to the hike.

"Ueki, put Ai down. She can walk already." Usagi repeated for Ai.

Ueki blinked. "Huh? Oh, alright…" He threw Ai to the ground, and that's the cause of the big bump on top of Ueki's head; One of the many 'handicrafts' Ai had made.

"Your punishment for dumping me to the ground just like that." Ai retorted.

Ueki stood up normally, but his eyes looked around.

"They're here." Usagi whispered, knowing what was in Ueki's mind.

"I know. Be ready."

"I am." She smirked, unlike usual.

______________________________________________

"Is it time to strike, miu?" The feline girl asked the boy. That wasn't the first time she asked with the same sentence that day.

"For the 13th time, no. Do as what was told by Orochi-sama." The boy tried to claw her with **his** cat paws, but she dodged.

"Ooh… Cat boy's gotten mad, miu???" She taunted.

"Same goes to tiger girl. Are you really a favorite of Orochi-sama?" He threw in a smart ass comment.

"You're obviously jealous, miu…"

______________________________________________

Ueki suddenly shouted into the forests, "Alright, you! Come out wherever you are!"

"That's right! We know you're coming to get Usagi-san!" Ai followed his lead.

The feline girl and boy was surely surprised by the sudden outburst, but they quickly adapted.

"So, they've found out, miu…" She grinned.

"We can strike now. Grab the target when they found out, just as ordered by Orochi-sama." He agreed.

The two dashed out of the tree they've been hiding in and darted for Usagi.

"Crap, they're so agile! What are they, felines?" Ueki cursed as he tried to stop them from reaching Usagi. A tree shot out of his palm. He aimed at the girl.

"So slow, baka, miu!" She taunted and dodged it easily.

"Drat! 6th Star Heavenly Weapon: Raika!" Ueki dashed to the girl. "I bet I can keep up with you now!"

"Still too slow, miu." The girl accelerated her speed to a faster limit than Raika and managed to reach Usagi.

"Shit! That failed…" Ueki cursed for the second time.

"Aahh!" Usagi shrieked as the girl made an attempt to choke her, but the girls' hands were held by the boy.

"Don't forget, Toramichi, do not harm her. She will be needed in good condition by Orochi-sama." He said while positioning a knife on Usagi's neck, but not cutting her.

"Usagi-san!" Ai desperately tried to punch the enemy girl, Toramichi, but she ended up being pinned to the ground.

"You're such a weakling, miu.." She chuckled, then kicked Ai to where Ueki was standing.

"Mori!" Usagi yelled. She wanted to shout some more, but her mouth was being covered by Toramichi's palm.

"Shout some more and you're dead," She turned to the boy and asked, "What do we do now, Nekomura, miu?"

Ueki didn't wait for the boy to answer. "5th Star Heavenly Weapon: Pick!" He aimed at the boy.

"So you're a Tenkaijin. This wasn't in the memo of Orochi-sama." Nekomura noted.

"Just realized?" Ueki scoffed. Ai got up and brushed the dust off her shirt.

"Alright, you, don't try to use anymore Heavenly Weapon or any of your power. Or else, I'll slit this rabbit's throat, miu!" Toramichi threatened.

"What makes you think you can slit a metal neck?" Ueki pointed out.

'Metal!?' Nekomura glanced at Usagi's neck. It was wrapped with metal around it.

"And what makes you think that person is Usagi?" Ai threw a shocking question.

Out of everyone, Usagi laughed.

"What's so funny, miu!?" Toramichi put her free hand into a fist.

"No, it's nothing. I'm just laughing because…" Usagi's voice darkened. "I'm positively not Usagi."

"NANI!?" Both Nekomura and Toramichi moved back. They prepared to fight Usagi's impostor.

Usagi's impostor walked to Ueki and Ai's side. Ai slowly took off the disguise things: The mask, the rabbit ears and tail. And there, in Usagi's place, stood Sano.

"Impossible! How did your chest, miu…!?"

"Oh, these?" Sano took out 2 pieces of curved metal from his chest and turned them back to towel. "They're fake, as you can see. These are Usagi's clothes, though… I'm lucky she had boyish ones."

Toramichi growled, "Damn it, you tricked us, miu!!"

"Just realized?" Ueki repeated. "8th Star Heavenly Weapon: Namihana!" It shot at top speed to the feline enemies.

"Don't you have any better Heavenly Weapons, miu??" Toramichi taunted as she and Nekomura dodged.

Ueki smirked. "Oh yes, I do! 9th Star Heavenly Weapon: Seiku!" He flew on top of them and summoned another Heavenly Weapon, "3rd Star Heavenly Weapon: Ranma!"

Toramichi giggled as she dodged Ueki's Ranma. "Too easy!"

Suddenly, about 10 shurikens flew out of nowhere. Some of them cut into Toramichi and Nekomura.

"What!? Other reinforcements, miu!?"

"Must be. Retreat to Orochi-sama." Nekomura instructed.

The felines dashed into the depths of the forest and ran away.

______________________________________________

After Toramichi and Nekomura left, the people who threw the shuriken appeared from behind a bush. One of them was Usagi, and the other one was a boy, but had rabbit features like her.

"Usagi-san! We told you to stay in the inn." Ueki reprimanded.

"Well, I was. But my brother suddenly showed up and said that you guys are in danger." She smiled.

Ai blinked. "Your brother?"

"What do you mean?" Usagi made a silly face and pointed to the boy beside her. "Of course it's him!"

"WHAAAT!?"

______________________________________________

"I see… Not a coincidence, huh?" Sano commented.

They all gathered in the boys' room, tagging along with Ai who wanted to give Rinko and Hideyoshi some drink.

"Yeah, kind of like that. I was walking near the onsen when my brother suddenly fell in front of me. I thought a stranger tripped, but when I found out it was my brother, well…" Usagi explained.

Ai folded her arms. "I'm not surprised. Ueki chose the Reunion Zai when he's given the Blank Zai."

"You knew???" Ueki was surprised by this.

"I'm not that stupid." Ai stuck her tongue out at him.

"Anyway, I've been spying on Orochi's moon platoon, and I found out they're targeting my beloved little sister, Mikami. So I followed those feline members here and, as I thought, I was able to meet Mikami-chan." Her brother added.

"Oh…" Ueki patted his dirty shirt. "What's your name?"

Usagi hugged her brother tightly and answered for him, "Hareki. Hareki Usagi."

"Hareki, huh? No wonder his eyes and rabbit ears are yellow." Ai commented. ( Hareki means sunny kid )

"How are we supposed to address you two? We can't call both of you Usagi, that would make a doubled meaning."

"Calling us by name will help." He suggested.

"That's not our problem now," Sano reminded and looked at Rinko. "This is the second day Rinko got her poison. If we don't find the cure in, let me count… 32 more hours, she'll die."

"What about Hideyoshi-san?" Mikami asked.

"He's fine even without the cure. He's just paralyzed for a week. He can still eat, drink and talk. As for bathing, Ueki and I can help him." Sano turned his head to Hideyoshi. "Right now, Rinko and Usagi are our top priority."

______________________________________________

"Soldier ToraC-Gen4, Soldier NekoC-Gen3!"

"Hai, Orochi-sama?"

"You failed the mission. Are you ready to receive the punishment?"

"Hai, Orochi-sama."

"But since I'm being generous, I will give you another chance. Don't disappoint me this time."

"Hai, Orochi-sama."

"Soldier ToraC-Gen4, why aren't you answering???"

"Sumimasen, miu."

Takagi suddenly appeared behind Orochi.

"Asabi-kun, I want to have a talk with you."

"Hai, Takagi-sama. As for you two, do your work!"

"Hai, Orochi-sama!"

"Hai, miu!"

Toramichi and Nekomura left the underground cave.

"Asabi-kun, you failed again."

"Wakaterumasu." ( I understand )

"That was the second time. One last chance. If you fail, you know what happens."

"Hai, ojousama."

"Supposed to be Takagi-sama, but never mind…"

______________________________________________

"Are you sure?" Ai asked in a sarcastic tone.

"It'll workout somehow. Or rather, we should make it workout somehow." Sano hesitantly replied.

Ueki grabbed his hiking backpack. "Let's go now, we don't have much time!"

"To Hanano Yama we go!" Hareki agreed and grabbed Mikami's wrist. "Come on, oneechan ( sister )!"

"Don't rush me around, oniisan ( brother )." Mikami grumbled uneasily.

______________________________________________

7.05 at night.

"Is this really supper, or is it actually dinner?" Sano gave a kick-ass comment as Ueki took out 10 boxes of Ai's octopus sashimi.

"It's really supper! This isn't that much, y' know." Ai angrily said.

"I doubt that…"

7.15 at night, still the same day.

"I'm stuffed..!" Ueki whined.

"You're not the only one…" Ai pointed at Mikami, Hareki and herself, who're all lying on the ground helplessly.

Sano, who was the only one to eat just one box while the others ate 2 ( Ueki, however, ate 3 ), laughed at them. "See, I told you this isn't supper."

That resulted in another of Ai's 'handicraft' on Sano's head, if you know what I mean…

______________________________________________

"They're still as weak as they were, I'm disappointed, miu…"

"Shut up and do as told by Orochi-sama."

"You're so strict, I hate you! Why do I have to be your partner, miu???"

______________________________________________

3 in the morning, the next day.

"Alright, guys! How's your 6 hour break sleep??" Sano yelled, waking everyone up.

Ai rubbed her eyes and complained, "You call a 6 hour break a sleep!? Hello, 6 hours only!!"

"Better 6 hours than 5." Sano debated.

"Sano-san… It's still 4 in the morning…" Hareki groaned.

"Actually, it's still 3."

"Groan…"

10 minutes later, everyone had changed their clothes ( Separately, of course ) and continued their search for the blue spider lily.

Just before Ai can say "We haven't eat breakfast!", a shower of needles were aimed at them from behind.

Ueki reacted quickly to it. "2nd Star Heavenly Weapon: Fudo!"

"My, my, you're still a slowpoke. Not yet changing, eh, miu?" Toramichi spoke while sitting on top of the Fudo together with Nekomura. "I'm not surprised. You're not as adaptable as Team Marilyn in the battlefield, miu."

Hideyoshi shuddered at the mention of Marilyn. Marilyn Carry, the person who knocked him and Rinko out easily in the 3rd round of the battle game.

'If these felines are better than Marilyn, I don't know if we can succeed.' He thought warily. "Ueki…"

"I know. If they're stronger than Marilyn, we run. If they're not, we fight." Ueki seemed to read his mind. "So you fought her, huh?" He asked the felines.

Toramichi laughed. "Don't worry! We're weaker than Marilyn. She is on a way different level. It's troublesome to admit, but we really can't beat her in the first round of the battle tournament."

Sano smirked. "Then that means we have nothing to worry about, right Ueki?"

"Right on, Sano-kun." Ueki nodded. The Fudo disappears. Toramichi and Nekomura swiftly jumped to a nearby tree.

"We're not even close to scratching her back there. Still, we're not as weak as Orochi-sama." Nekomura added darkly.

"And you call me a pain, miu…" Toramichi scoffed.

"I don't see the point in arguing between friends." Hareki gave an off-the-topic comment, which resulted in him being pinched by his sister.

Mikami said in her scariest possible voice, "Shizukani." ( Hush up )

"Ok… *tremble*"

By that time, the felines had ran away.

Sano jumped to the same tree Toramichi and Nekomura were in with absolute sureness that they left a trap. And he was right.

"Don't take another step!" He warned them. "They planted smoke grenades around us; Looks like they did it when Ueki defended with the Fudo. The activating strings are tied to this tree. Wait until I cut them off!"

"Roger that!" They replied in unison.

______________________________________________

"Looks like they found out. Not predicted by Orochi-sama."

"Not as easy as we thought, huh? They're not weaklings after all, miu."

"Yeah…"

"Wow, that's the first time I've heard you talk without Orochi-sama at the end of the sentence! Rare incident, miu!"

"Anyway, we have to stop them before they get to the Aoi Hana Chamber."

"You mean the Blue Flower Chamber, miu."

"Yeah, yeah…"

______________________________________________

To Be Continued

______________________________________________

Aahh!! Finally!! I'm so pissed off when I'm stuck in the middle of the story with no ideas, luckily I made it to the finish! Yeah! Did you comment/review?

Anyway, now I can rest *dozes off to sleep* =ZZZ…=

( Btw, I won't be updating for a week. Ja ne ^_^ )


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